Lost Princess
by asyouwishmilady
Summary: Tangled Captain Swan AU :) Snow White and Prince Charming used to rule a peaceful, merry kingdom by the sea. Until their beautiful baby girl was stolen in the middle of the night and everything changed. Now it's up to a certain dashing rapscallion to reunite the lost princess with her equally lost parents.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I've been wanting to do this fic before, but I finally decided to get around to it! This is based on the OUaT/Tangled parallels highlighted in a Buzzfeed post I saw a while ago.**

**Basically, Regina=Mother Gothel, Snow and Charming=King and Queen, Emma=Rapunzel, Hook/Killian=Eugene/Flynn, Henry=Pascal (because reasons) and I'll add more character keys as I add more parts.**

**TOTALLY CAPTAIN SWAN!**

**Includes: Killian, Emma, Captain Swan, Evil! Regina, Snowing for the sake of family fluff, Tangled AU.  
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**If you have a problem with any of the former, please leave and refrain from posting hate :3**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Once upon a time, a kingdom in the enchanted forest lived in peace and harmony, under the rule of the fairest king and queen the people could ask for; Snow White and Prince Charming. Poverty was almost non-existent, and the rich had extravagant balls and parties. The streets were filled with song and dance, since there was almost always something to be happy about. The one problem was that the ex-queen was bent on destroying everything the Charmings loved. Her name was Regina, and she was the most powerful sorceress in the land. She could have offed the royal family with a flick of her wrist, but a fairy had charms protecting all that was good in the kingdom, including Snow White and her husband. They didn't take her petty threats seriously, until they got the biggest news of their life. Snow was pregnant with a baby.<p>

They immediately took action to protect the queen, posting guards at every entrance to the castle and getting as much help from the Blue Fairy as they could. But light magic could only do so much.

When Snow began to approach her due date, Regina infiltrated the castle with the help of a slave and snuck poison into Snow's soup.

The Blue Fairy said she was sure to die in hours, unless Charming could find the flower of life.

"The flower of life?" He scoffed. "That could be a day's journey from here, but we may only have minutes! There must be another way!" He pleaded with the fairy.

"I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do." And with that, she was gone.

"You can do it," Snow coughed weakly. "Miracles have a way of happening in our family." She gave him the strongest smile she could muster.

"I will find it, and I will save you." He left her chamber without another word.

He rallied the troops, fighting through tears, and rode off into the night.

They searched every nook and cranny in the kingdom, and just when all hope was lost the flower revealed itself.

It glowed in the moon light, its golden petals unfurled in a delicate fan. The men carefully plucked it from the soil, and brought it back to the castle.

One hour later, a beautiful baby girl was born. She had her mother's sparkling green eyes and her dad's blond hair, which already fell to her shoulders.

All was well that night, with the family asleep and thinking that they had bested Regina once again.

They were wrong.

In all the excitement of the evening, the Blue Fairy neglected to put the kingdom's shields up again. The only thing keeping Regina out.

She chuckled to herself as she materialized in the new parents' bedroom.

"It's almost too easy..." She grinned and summoned a dagger, and was just about to strike when she heard a happy gurgle and some babbling.

She whipped around to find the most adorable baby she'd ever seen.

"You're just the cutest thing!" Regina whispered. She played with the baby for a moment, until she realized that the Charmings didn't have to die to be unhappy. What hurts more than losing a child? She had her dagger poised, when the child let out a mighty wail, waking her parents.

Regina gasped, and not knowing what else to do, she grabbed the girl and fled to her secret tower in the woods.

When they arrived, Regina told herself that she had to kill the girl, it was the only way she could get her happy ending. She thrust her hand into the child's chest, trying to pull out her heart. But she couldn't. It was stuck. She yanked with all her might, but was thrown backward by a pulse of pure white magic.

Suddenly she felt lighter, and didn't feel the creakiness in her joints when she walked.

She stumbled over to a mirror, and realized that the gray streaks in her hair had vanished. Her extra weight around her hips and mid-section was gone.

_Could it have been the baby?_ Regina wondered. Whatever it was, she liked it.

But when she woke up in the morning, the magic was reversed.

So that settled it. If the girl could make her young again, and her parents thought she was dead, why did she have to die?

"Welcome home, _Emma_." She cooed.

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><p><strong>Sorry for the length, but this is just the intro.<br>**

**Reviews please? :3**


	2. Chapter 2

**This got such a great reaction! Thanks for your lovely reviews favorites and follows :)**

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><p>As soon as Emma left, the city fell to ruin. The Charmings spent their fortune trying to find her, but to no avail. Their loyal subjects chipped in, giving all they could to sustain the armies. All they got out of it was poverty. Bandits roaming the streets. High taxes. Song and dance stopped.<p>

The last bit of money was spent on a gorgeous mosaic that stretched to the sky, depicting the princess, in hopes that if she did somehow find the kingdom, she'd know that her parents were waiting for her.

Emma soon became a strong, beautiful young woman with hair that flowed like liquid gold throughout the tower. Regina tried cutting it once it got tangled and bothersome, but the magic didn't work for a whole year once she did. So she kept it long and free, and un-tangled thanks to an enchanted hair brush.

As Emma grew up, her powers only got stronger. Regina found that she no longer had to touch Emma's heart to feel the effects of her power, she only had to lay a hand on her chest.

But that wasn't all Emma could do. One day, as she was climbing through the rafters, her foot slipped and got twisted at an odd angle, making her yelp in pain and fall many feet down to the floor. She could barely move, and the only thing she could feel was this immense amount of fear that engulfed her, and then a shock wave of intense heat. Suddenly, her vision stopped swimming and she could breathe again. She slipped into a deep slumber when she tried to get up, but when she awoke, every injury she had gotten was gone. Nine-year-old Emma decided that the only possible explanation for her survival was that magic was involved.

She had read books in Regina's library on magic, but she assumed they were fantasy. If she did have magic, what else could she do with it?

A lot, apparently. She levitated books and cups of water, created toys and small treats, and even made a chameleon for a pet whom she immediately dubbed Henry.

Regina was barely around, so she had plenty of time to practice. But she still struggled to control it and became very tired when she used it. Emma snuck peeks at some books her mother had lying around, trying to learn how to harness her powers, but she couldn't even read most of the words, as they were written in some odd form of hieroglyph.

One evening when she was seventeen, she lost track of time in her mom's library, and didn't stop reading until she heard her come up the stairs.

Emma gasped and searched desperately for a hiding place. She settled on a creaky armoire off in a corner just as her mother entered.

"Mirrror, any word on the Charmings?" Regina spat out the last word like it was poison.

"The blue fairy continues to support them, and has put more money and magic into finding the lost princess." A deep voice rumbled.

_That's odd._ Emma thought. _Mother never has company._

"Ugh. Why does that old bat love them so much? She never helped _me_ when I was queen."

Emma's hand flew up to her mouth to stifle her gasp. _Queen?_

"Perhaps it's because you chose to study magic under the Dark One instead of her." The stranger replied.

"I'm glad I did. The blue fairy would've never supported my revenge on Snow White and Prince Charming."

_Revenge? How many secrets can she keep?_

"Anything else you need, my dear?"

"No." Regina replied and yawned. "I'm positively exhausted. I'm going to see my flower."

_Oh no!_ Emma concentrated as hard as she could and poofed herself to her bed chamber.

Regina sauntered up and sat down next to Emma.

"How was your day, sweetheart?" She asked.

"Good." Emma replied. What she meant was, _The Strangest Day Of My Life._

"Good." Regina pretended to fix her daughter's hair, but let her hands linger over her heart so that she could be young again.

She sighed as she felt the effects of pure white magic wash over her.

"Actually..." Emma started. "I was playing with my dolls, and I ummm..."

"Speak up, girl! You know how I hate when you mumble!."

"I accidentally made one of them float." That wasn't what really happened. She _meant_ to make it float, like she always did.

Regina laughed it off. "So you threw it?"

"No, I pointed at it, and it rose up and stayed there. Is that normal?" She said, more bold than before.

Fear shone in Regina's eyes.

"That's not normal. It's very dangerous, and you must never do it again." She said, her voice quavering a little.

"But maybe if I learned to use it..."

"You could create even more damage. Don't you dare defy me again!" She yelled.

Emma shrunk back, her head hung low.

"I-I'm sorry." Regina muttered. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"I understand." Emma said, not meeting her mother's eyes.

By her eighteenth birthday, Emma had one goal: Go to the blue fairy and learn magic.

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><p>"You found the lost princess!" Tinkerbell squealed, beaming as she saw the girl through Blue's hand mirror.<p>

"Found?" Blue chuckled. "She was never lost."

"I don't understand." Tink frowned. "Why not just bring her back? Do you know how much pain the king and queen are in? And she's caused the kingdom to be in poverty!"

Blue just smiled.

"Yes, but Emma is on a very important path. If the kingdom wasn't poor, Killian Jones wouldn't be a thief. If he wasn't a thief, Emma would have a much worse fate than the one she has now. All this suffering will be worth it in due time."

She waved a hand over her mirror, causing an image of a ruggedly handsome young man to appear.

He had deep blue eyes that one could swim in for hours, jet black hair, and a dusting of stubble around his jaw.

"Just wait and see..."

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><p><strong>Ok I promise this is the last back story chapter.<strong>

**Thanks for being awesome viewers!**

**Review? :3**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm sorry that there was a bit of a wait :(**

**I accidentally deleted chapter three and had to re-do it, but it got 10,000% better, so it's all good.**

**Enjoy! (please)**

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><p>Killian Jones peered out over the rippling sapphire sea and sighed dreamily. He wanted nothing more than to disappear on a ship and never return. But stealing ships wasn't easy. That's why he had to do this job. If all went well, he'd buy a ship and set sail for the nearest island in four days time.<p>

But Jack and James still thought they were getting half of the loot...

_We'll cross that bridge when we come to it... _Killian thought.

"Jones!" Jack hissed from the roof of the palace. "Stop messing around! We need to pull this off without a hitch."

He reluctantly climbed off the balcony and joined his companions over the sun roof.

"Now, to review," She began, "I'll attach you to this rope and James and I will reel you down to the shrine to get that dress. Get out without distracting to the guards, stuff it into your satchel, and we run like the wind. Got it?"

He and James nodded.

"Good."

Within seconds he began his descent, completely silent and undetectable to the guards stationed in the nursery.

The whole room could've been worth millions of gold pieces, with all the furniture hand-carved and gilded in precious metals. It was bursting at the seams with toys, flowers, and little trinkets.

He stopped for a moment, captivated by a mobile with crystal unicorns hanging from it. Killian almost felt bad for looting the lost girl's shrine, but his feelings of guilt disappeared when he remembered that he was doing this for his dream.

He didn't have to look long for the dress, since it was the centerpiece. It was a stunning gown, fit for a girl's eighteenth birthday ball. Little wispy feathers adorned the model's shoulders, and bits of diamond were stitched into every inch of fabric. It flared out at the waist, but not stiffly and properly like a queen's waist; it flowed freely in little puffs of gray-blue tulle.

Guilt nagged at him as he snatched it off the form and put it in his bag, this time stronger, and he found himself unable to quell it.

He could just leave it, and find another job to do instead. But what about James and Jack...

Or he could make a loud escape. If he "accidentally" got caught, he could give it up and find another job. If he escaped he could pawn it and take off. Either way, he made money. Why not?

He grinned and said quite loudly, "What a group of bloody idiots. I could've stolen half the shrine by now and you wouldn't have even noticed."

The head soldier turned on his heel, his eyes wide as saucers. All he could do was stare as Killian scaled the rope leading up to the ceiling, and left the palace behind.

"I got it!" He yelled to his companions. "But we have to run!"

The trio climbed down the wall and took off into the forest, while the soldiers followed them on horse back.

They had only been running for five minutes when they came to a dead end, and the soldiers were rapidly gaining.

"You guys, help me up and then I'll pull you over!" Killian suggested quickly.

"We are not falling for that again, Jones." James replied almost immediately.

"I swear, I'll even give you the bag." There was such a sincerity in his words, James couldn't help but give in.

Killian hoisted himself out of the ravine with a little help, and laid down on his stomach once he was over, smirking devilishly.

"Help us up." Jack demanded.

Killian pouted, his eyes dancing. "I'm sorry, but my hands are full."

He held up the dress bag just out of James's reach.

"JONES!"

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><p>Emma got out of her bed gleefully.<p>

"Today is the day." She declared to Henry. "I am going to leave this tower."

The chameleon chirped happily in response.

"You're right. I've got to look my best!" She walked to her wardrobe, and thumbed through a rack of her clothes. The only contents were a pink frock she never wore, a dressing gown, an extra sleep shirt, some riding pants and a beige vest, and her favorite purple dress embroidered with flowers.

She sighed. "I have nothing to wear."

Henry jerked his finger towards the curtains on her window.

"You think I could make something out of that?"

He shrugged his green shoulders.

"I can try." She closed her eyes and focused all her energy into making a new dress.

There was a woosh of warm air, and her red curtains and night gown were gone. She was now wearing a red satin ball gown with a scalloped neckline.

"Ugh! I can't even breathe in this thing." She waved a hand over it, and the corset was removed and it bore her ankles and shins.

"Much better!" She did a happy twirl for good luck.

"Want some pancakes?" She asked Henry as she placed him on her shoulder.

He nodded enthusiastically.

"Come on!" She jumped on the banister and slid all the way down the stairs.

Emma waltzed to the kitchen while humming softly.

She went to a basket containing the week's food, and found it more stocked than usual. It also held a note in her mother's looping calligraphy.

"My flower," It read, "my trip will take a little longer than I originally planned. I brought you extra food and candles that should last you more than a week. Be good and don't try to leave. XXOO, Mom."

Emma smirked to herself.

"Henry, it looks like we'll get to spend more time in the kingdom than we thought!" She told her friend happily.

He nodded, but paused suddenly and pointed to the window.

"Yes I'm leaving today." Emma replied. "I've been talking about it for weeks."

He shook his head and stood on his hind legs, walking around and pointing at random items in the tower.

"Oh, a guide! I don't need one. I think I can look after myself." Emma sat on the counter.

Henry gave her a look that seemed to say, "Seriously?"

"I might need a guide. But it's not like I can just make one. I could barely make myself a dress this morning."

Henry smiled at her and gave her a thumbs-up.

"I'll try. But after breakfast."

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><p>Regina scowled at the events playing out in her magic mirror.<p>

"I knew she was using magic behind my back!" She picked up her tea pot and threw it at the wall. "How dare she defy my wishes! And now she wants to leave! Why?"

Sidney dutifully answered, "She wants to study more magic."

"So she can overthrow me." Regina growled.

Sidney rolled his eyes. "She only wants to learn. That's all she's ever wanted. She's curious. And she loves you."

"I don't believe you. She's going back to the two idiots and they're going to execute me. I'm going to make sure she doesn't leave."

"My queen, you have a great relationship. Don't jeopardize it by going back to your evil ways."

She scoffed. "Go back? What do you mean? I've always been evil."

"You weren't with Robin."

Her eyes narrowed. "I told you not to talk about him."

"You were in love."

"He _died_. And what we had wasn't love."

"Just don't do anything drastic."

"You know I won't. I'll only do what's needed."

Sidney's eyes widened. "Something's wrong. I feel Emma's in danger."

"Show her to me!" Regina demanded.

Immediately Emma appeared, washing dishes in the basin while Henry looked on.

"It doesn't look like there's anything wrong. Don't scare me like that!"

"No, there is."

The focus shifted from Emma to at the base of the tower, where a dashing young man holding a leather satchel was standing, looking ready to climb.

"What should we do?" Sidney asked.

"Nothing. This could be good." A grin spread across Regina's face. "I know just how to make her obey me again."

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><p><strong>*insert evil Regina theme song and end credits*<strong>

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	4. Chapter 4

**Oh. My. God. **

**Thank you guys so much! I never thought I'd get over fifty followers on here, but you sure proved me wrong!**

**Keep being awesome readers and I'll keep writing :)**

**To answer a question posed by Guest: Yes, The Stabbington brothers were Jack (Jacqueline) and James (Charming I) from the show.**

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><p>Killian pulled himself into the tower's window, breathing hard.<p>

Once he was safely inside, he slumped against the wall, cradling the dress in his arms.

"Ah." He peered lovingly at it. "Alone at last."

Emma swung her frying pan with all her might and prayed that it would hit its target.

She knew it did when she heard a groan and a thud against the floor.

She prodded the intruder cautiously, trying not to wake it up.

_Not an it, _she thought. _Him._

"A man!" She squeaked. Emma had never seen one before, except in books. The crude illustrations _definitely _didn't do the real thing justice.

A face that looked as if it had been carved from marble, a mop of scruffy black hair that she would pay to run her fingers through... _what about his eyes?_

Maybe a rich chocolate brown like her mother's, or emerald green like her own.

She lifted his eyelid with the end of her frying pan, and was shocked to see a splash of vibrant _blue_.

Emma had never seen someone so beautiful.

Was this the race of people that her mother so often warned her of? But he looked so peaceful... and handsome. Really handsome.

She knew she had to do something with him, but she was so mesmerized and so inexplicably drawn to him, she didn't want to look away from his face.

She strained to remember what his voice sounded like, and remembered suddenly that he was holding something when he came in. Emma picked up the bag, and lifted the most gorgeous dress she'd ever laid eyes on from the inside.

The delicacy of it and the feathers reminded her faintly of a swan. She was tempted to try it on, and just had to give in. Were those diamonds in the bodice?

She poofed the gown on and it swapped places with her other dress.

She gasped when she looked in the mirror. The dress fit her perfectly, hugging all the right places and complimenting her skin tone in the best way possible. She felt like a real princess.

Killian started stirring on the other side of the room, so she acted quickly, using her magic to put the dress away, changing into her regular outfit, and tying up her prisoner.

He came to eventually, to find Henry glaring menacingly at him.

Killian yelped and shouted, "What in bloody hell is that?"

"It's called a chameleon." Emma stepped out of the shadows, wielding her frying pan. "Who are you and what are you doing in my tower?"

He answered before he saw her. "To put it simply, I was chased. I wanted to hide. I ended up here."

When he did see her, Killian felt his eyes go wide. The girl that knocked him out was... well, a knock-out. She cut quite the figure in the ruby-red dress she wore, and those stunning eyes seemed to see right through him.

"Hello, love." He smiled flirtatiously.

The mystery girl glared at him. "Hi."

She was so cute when she was mad. Her wavy gold hair seemed to be never-ending... _Wait, where does it end? _He thought. He swept his gaze over the room, and saw bits in the rafters, draped over arm chairs, and _wrapped around him._

"Oh my gods." He gulped.

"You never fully answered my question. What is your name?" She jabbed him with the frying pan.

"I'll let you know mine if you let me know yours, darling." He winked.

She looked taken aback, and opened her mouth a few times before lying, "Rapunzel Swan."

"Well, Swan, you can call me Killian Jones. As much as I love being in your company, I would really like to get on my way, so..."

She looked like she was about to reply, but stopped herself and said, "Actually, not yet."

She beckoned for her chameleon to join her in the kitchen.

"I know he doesn't look that trustworthy..." she was cut off by some squeaking before she said, "I really need his help. I can handle this." There were a few disapproving titters and then she said, "Yes! Thank you Henry!"

The girl returned. "I have a deal for you, Jones."

"I'm really not interested. I have to get going, and I have to get my bag to..." Then it dawned on him. "You took my bag"

She shrugged. "You broke into my tower. I'd say it's only fair."

"I see how it is. Stealing from a thief."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Please. Like what you were going to do with it was any better than what I'll do with it."

"You don't know that." He said quietly.

"If you want it back so badly, you can have it. On one condition."

"Great. A twist."

"You must escort me to the kingdom, and see to it that I make it to the domain of the fairies safely."

"Look, sweetheart, I'm not really wanted in the kingdom right now. That gown comes from a pretty powerful family..."

"I knew it looked royal! How on earth could you have gotten it?"

"Thievery is one of my_ many_ talents."

She ignored his comment and reasoned, "If you could get into the palace undetected, you could sneak around the kingdom without much trouble."

"You are lucky that I really need that money." He said, resigned.

"Yay!" Emma shrieked.

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><p><strong>And so it begins; Captain Swan has met.<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you for your encouragement and enthusiasm! I love you all :)**

**This is a Killian-centric chapter just so you know.**

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><p>Emma stared at the thin mini-plants beneath her feet. She cocked her head at it, wiggling her toes around. <em>Green. Soft. Smells good. <em>She tried to remember reading about this plant in her mom's book of herbology, but couldn't recall learning about this.

"Something wrong with the grass, Swan?" Killian chuckled.

"No, there's nothing wrong with the grace." She stutttered.

"Grass."

"Yeah. Nothing wrong with the grass." She moved away from her tower, casting a nervous glance over her shoulder. Something wasn't right. This was too easy.

"Hey," Killian grabbed her shoulder. "You're free of whatever was ailing you in that tower now."

Emma grimaced. "She wasn't ailing me, though. That's the thing."

"She? A mother, perhaps?"

She nodded.

"You shouldn't run from family, love." _You're just telling her that so that she'll want to call off the deal._ He told himself.

But Killian knew that wasn't the case.

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><p><em>"Papa, can you take Liam and I sailing today?" 6-year-old Killian bounded over to his father, who sat on the edge of his bed nursing a cup of tea.<em>

_He waved him away with the back of his hand. "No. The king of Corona wants our village to search for the princess today. _Run along, now."__

_"Bollocks to her." He fumed._

_"Killian!" His father scolded. "You are not supposed to use language like that."_

_"I just want you to be home. You're always gone now. Can you please take us?" __Killian climbed onto his lap._

_His father gave a heavy sigh. "We'll have to wait and see."_

_"Nicolas?" A kind, airy voice came from the kitchen. His mother bustled into the sleeping quarters with confusion scrawled all over her delicate face. "Where were you? You didn't come home last night."_

_"I was working late, Charlotte." He muttered._

_"Doing what? It was too late for rope-making or drills, I do all your uniform-mending, and there was no voyaging announcement. Don't tell me you were out drinking again."_

_"Fine. I won't." He set his tea down and picked a biscuit off of a silver tray._

_"You've been out every night this month! You may be the captain of the Farraige Navy, but that does not mean you can abandon your duties as a husband and a father."_

_"At least I came home. In some families, that's more than you could ask."_

_"Nicolas, I love you. Our sons love you. We have a beautiful home, enough money to last us for the rest of our lives. When are you going to start appreciating it?" Her voice was beginning to shake, her hands curled into tight little balls by her side._

_"Go outside, Killy." His father grabbed him by the shoulders._

_"But Papa..."_

_"Go." _

_Killian ducked his head and did as he was told._

_He scurried around the side of the house to peer through a window._

_His mother's lips were moving in a flurry of pleas and promises. Her eyes were ice-cold with a sadness that his young mind could barely comprehend._

_But his Papa, who loved the sea and took his sons sailing and sang to himself as he beat out rope, was trembling with fury. He was blazing and angry, waving his hands all about at his wife who was now cowering in fear._

_The petite woman looked like a row boat lost in a storm. And suddenly, she was struck across the face by a wave. Nicolas's fist connected with her cheek, hard._

_Killian gasped at the sight of rose-red blood blooming on her cheek, his vision beginning to swim with tears._

_"Killian? Killian, what's wrong?" Liam came rushing to his side from the street, carrying a large basket of food._

_"I think Papa hurt Mum."_

_"What?" Liam peeked through the drapes._

_His face paled._

_"This is not good. I'm going to see what happened. Stay here."_

_Killian nodded._

_A few moments passed by, followed by screams from inside._

_Killian bolted upright. Nicolas could hurt his mother, but not Liam._

_He had no idea what he would do without his big brother._

_He ran inside, to see his mother furiously packing her bags with blood gushing from a cut on her cheekbone._

_"Mum, we can't leave!" Liam was practically on his knees begging. _

_"No, we must! I never want to see his bastard face again!" Charlotte yelled._

_Nicolas sat in the corner, stoic._

_"Are you happy now? You can finally have a drink in peace." Her eyes were red and misty. "Liam, I need your help to sail us away as far as possible."_

_"Mum, I can't leave Farraige. It's our home." Killian squeaked._

_She knelt down to his level._

_"My baby," She sniffed. "When a place brings you pain, it's no longer a home. It's a prison."_

_She glanced over to Nicolas who was rooting around for a bottle of rum._

_"I've made my desicion and packed our things. Liam, take the food."_

_He hauled a heavy leather bag over his shoulder and stopped by his father's side on his way out._

_"What're you looking at?" He tipped back his bottle and sat back down on his bed._

_Liam walked away, silently._

_Killian followed him without looking back._

_A year later, they had settled in Corona and received a notice by mail that said that Nicolas died in combat._

_The small family struggled financially, forcing Charlotte to become a washerwoman and Liam to be an apprentice for a blacksmith. _

_One day, after Liam got off of work, he and Killian sat on the floor of their hut, waiting for Charlotte to return with dinner._

_There were no toys, nothing to talk about._

_The quiet was torture for both of them. The outside was calling from the fluttering curtain they used as a door, the very curtain they had peeked through on that fateful day when their lives changed._

_"Can we go outside, brother?" Killian asked softly._

_Liam wanted to be the stern older sibling, but the temptation was too much._

_He nodded and the two slipped out._

_They wandered the streets for a while, even though it was dreary and dull with the main color palette being beige, gray, black, and brown._

_The duo found themselves in a market place, that sold half-rotted meats, heavily salted fish, the occasional fruit, and plain clothing._

_One booth stood out from the rest. It sold beautiful, vibrant scarves, in silks dyed the color of Liam's cheeks when he lied, the ocean when the sun hit it at just the right angle, and the purest first snow one could imagine. _

_But the one that caught Killian's eye was the most remarkable green he had ever seen._ Nobody _wore green unless they were royals, and even then it was muted and boring. This color was the color of new grass, but it shone like the sun._

_He tugged his brother's sleeve and whispered, "Liam, let's steal that scarf for Mum." _

_"No! We can't!" He exclaimed almost immediately._

_"We've stolen before!" Killian countered._

_"Yes, apples! We can't steal something so big."_

_"Come on. We'll wait until the shopkeeper looks away and then we'll jump in." _

_When Liam saw the light in Killian's eyes he couldn't help but give in._

_They began to hatch a plan. Liam would distract the shopkeeper, and Killian would sneak around the side to take their prize._

_"Hello ma'am. These are some lovely scarves." Liam said in a voice as smooth as glass._

_The woman behind the booth looked up from the book she was reading to spit on the ground by his feet._

_"Get away, filth. I sincerely doubt you've any money to pay for them."_

_Liam acted offended._

_"You shouldn't speak to me like that. My father is in the Royal Navy."_

_Killian paused mid-heist._

_The old woman scoffed, wiping at her misshapen nose. "The navy is about as noble as a pack of rats these days. Mercenaries and drunkards, the lot of them."_

_"He's better than you." Liam retorted._

_The woman rolled her eyes. "What are you even still doing here? You've come just to insult me? Scurry along, you're driving away valuable business."_

_She settled back down with her book._

_"The last time I talked to a boy like you he was a-"_

_By the time she finished her sentence the boys were already halfway down the street._

_"Thief." She grumbled._

_And then she perked up. __"Thieves! Guards!" _

_Some nearby soldiers gasped and took off in pursuit._

_What happened next was in a blur for Killian._

_He remembered the glow, the triumph, the cool silk in his hand._

_And then he heard his brother sob, saw him sprawled out on the dirt path, three soldiers towering over him._

_Then he was joined by another voice, his mom, running up to the soldiers and desperately yelling at them to let her son go._

_He wanted to join them, but what about the scarf?_

_He ran into an alley and watched them quarrel with the guards for a moment longer, and then he saw their hands get bound behind their backs._

_Killian couldn't just stand there and watch them get taken away._

_Before he could tell himself to turn away, he ran forward to see his mother's eyes go wide with worry._

_"Killian, go! You must leave, save yourself." She begged. _

_"Mum."_

_"Go, go now!" Tears were flowing down her cheeks._

_"I'm so sorry." He draped the scarf around her neck, and ran as hard as he could._

_That was the beginning of his new career._

* * *

><p>"I'm not running." Emma stated.<p>

"Sorry?" Killian asked.

"From my mother. I could never do that to her. Or anyone I love."

Killian drew in a sharp breath.

"Yeah. Neither could I."


End file.
